Putin denies Kremlin administration involvement in Maidan events

February 24, 2015, 8:39 UTC+3MOSCOWThe words came as a response to Petro Poroshenko's claims that, according to Ukrainian Security Service data, Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov had allegedly been involved in the events

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed claims that Kremlin administration officials were involved in events on Maidan (Independence Square in downtown Kiev, the symbol of Ukrainian protests) as nonsense.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that according to Ukrainian Security Service data, Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov, in charge of issues of cooperation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, had allegedly been involved in the events in Kiev last February, when shooting left over 100 protesters and law enforcers killed.

"Sometimes I somewhat get surprised at public statements of the Ukrainian leadership, for example that our administration officials taking part in the tragic events on Maidan a year ago," Putin said in an interview aired by the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Monday.

"This is utter nonsense, so far from reality, that you even get surprised where it comes from. Sometimes I later hear that such statements are based on inaccurate data of special services, this is what I am told sometimes," he said.

"I would ask [others] to be more attentive when using data acquired by my Ukrainian colleagues," Putin said.